Greenwashing in Aviation: Sky-High Claims, Low-Key Reality

Author: Lynn Frederick Dsouza

Email: [email protected]

Oh dear, let's be honest, aviation's green claims are often more flash than substance. Picture this: you're at the airport, tired, possibly hungry, and right there in front of you is a perky sign plastered on a massive jet, saying something like, "Fly Green with Us!" Well, that sounds as eco-friendly as a designer handbag made of plastic straws, doesn't it? It's as if wrapping a Boeing 747 in a green ribbon somehow makes it sustainable. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. Welcome to the not-so-glamorous world of greenwashing.

Let’s start with the basics. Greenwashing, my dear readers, is the fine art of making a company look like a paragon of environmental virtue—without actually doing the heavy lifting. And in aviation, where emissions are through the roof (literally), the brushstrokes of greenwashing are particularly thick.

The Cloudy Supply Chain

Let's talk supply chains. The aviation industry loves to boast about their biodegradable coffee cups and recycled napkins. Fabulous, yes, but what about the fuel? Those glorious tonnes of jet fuel that keep these birds in the air are a different story. Imagine airlines sending out a press release about "saving the planet" because they switched to paper straws—while burning millions of gallons of fossil fuel for a single cross-Atlantic flight. It's like wearing a hemp dress while driving a gas-guzzling SUV. Darling, you can’t sip your way out of climate change.

Three Ways to Spot Genuine Green and Not Greenwashed Airlines

1. Transparency? What a Concept! If an airline is serious about sustainability, it will give you the raw, unvarnished facts. Forget the marketing jargon and look for emissions reports, sustainability initiatives, and carbon offset programs that go beyond buzzwords. If they tell you that your flight to Paris emitted enough carbon to fry your croissant and they’re working on fixing it, that’s a good sign.

2. Fairy Tales vs. Hard Data Is the airline you’re flying with serious about change or are they sprinkling a little green pixie dust? Real initiatives involve investing in new technologies, like sustainable aviation fuel (the holy grail), or fuel-efficient flight paths. Just don't be swayed by the glossy brochures with illustrations of trees and birds singing about a “sustainable future.”

3. Collaboration Over Green Confetti True eco-pioneers don’t just stick a green label on their aircraft and call it a day. They actively work with governments, environmental agencies, and competitors to create standards for sustainability. They know that this fight is bigger than them and are willing to share the cockpit for genuine progress.

How to Laugh and Learn Through the Greenwash

Now, while we’re at it, a little humour goes a long way in calling out the nonsense, doesn’t it? The next time you see an ad trumpeting "carbon-neutral flights" with a photo of a beaming passenger clutching an eco-friendly sandwich, remember: we’re not that easily fooled. Greenwashing deserves a good laugh, but it also demands our vigilance. Push for clearer standards, ask tougher questions, and expect more than just a recycled napkin.

Let’s Not Be Taken for a Non-Electric Ride

In the end, we want to believe that airlines are heading toward a truly green future. But to get there, we need more than just good PR. We need serious commitment, honest disclosures, and real change. The kind of change that isn’t about cosmetic fixes but about reshaping the industry for the long haul.

So fasten your seatbelts, dear eco-warriors, the journey may be long, but with a bit of humour, a lot of scrutiny, and some good old-fashioned common sense, we might just land this plane on a genuinely greener runway.

For more information please contact: Lynn Frederick Dsouza, Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: National Aviation Council, Email: [email protected] or visit wicci.in